MLB Player News

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday that he's "very" hopeful Ohtani will be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Maddon named Ohtani, Griffin Canning (elbow) and Felix Pena (knee) as players who were unlikely to be a go for the original Opening Day but may be fine after the extended layoff. Among that group, Ohtani seems like the surest bet to be with the team when play kicks off as he has -- by all indications -- completed his Tommy John recovery. Ohtani reached 55 pitches in a live batting practice session at the end of last month. Maddon followed up by saying he plans to keep Ohtani on his once-a-week pitching schedule this season.

Choi plans to leave his native South Korea later Tuesday to join the Rays in anticipation of the 2020 MLB season resuming, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency reports.

Choi's impending return to the United States comes on the heels of MLB owners voting Monday to implement a 60-game season that will reportedly begin around July 24, per Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. The plan would require players to sign off on a health-and-safety protocol to arrive at their home stadiums by July 1 to prepare for the season, but it's unclear how that timeline may impact foreign players like Choi, who could need to self-quarantine for a two-week period before partaking in workouts with the Rays. Assuming that Choi is cleared for full team activities at least a week or so before the season kicks off, however, he shouldn't face any restrictions when games begin.

Ohtani posted a video of himself deadlifting 495 pounds on his personal Instagram page Wednesday.

Given the strain of lifting nearly 500 pounds, it's safe to say that Ohtani is feeling good after undergoing elbow and knee surgeries over the previous two years. Ohtani has put on added muscle as the result of a heavyweight, low-rep routine over the offseason, giving the Angels hope that he can increase his durability upon his return to the mound during a potential 2020 campaign.

Ohtani (elbow) recently resumed throwing live batting practice and has advanced to the 55-pitch mark in those sessions, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Angels have indicated that Ohtani, who has thrown live BP three times, will stick to around 55 pitches in his subsequent throwing sessions before likely building up his count once teams are allowed to begin their second phase of preseason training. The league-wide shutdown has provided Ohtani with some extra time to complete the final stages of his rehab from October 2018 Tommy John surgery, leaving the possibility open for him to contribute both as a member of the rotation and as a designated hitter when Opening Day arrives.

Lewis, who has remained in the Arizona area while spring training has been suspended, is likely to be present at the Mariners' spring training facility in Peoria when it reopens with limited access early this week, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners are among many teams that will begin welcoming staggered groups of players back over the next several days for informal workouts at either their home or spring training complexes. Lewis' ongoing presence in the area makes him a natural candidate to join other teammates such as Evan White, Jake Fraley and J.P. Crawford, and with multiple practice fields and workout areas, the Peoria complex should afford the necessary space for proper social distancing procedures to be followed.

Ohtani (elbow) has been "ramping up intensity and volume," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange Country Register reports.

The update comes by way of Angels general manager Billy Eppler, who also noted that Ohtani has continued throwing off a mound. The two-way star was originally expected to be limited to hitting duties to begin the campaign, but with a potential Opening Day pushed back to no sooner than early July, Ohtani is now on track to be part of the starting rotation from the get-go.

Cabrera has gotten into better shape this offseason with the goal of being able to play some first base when the regular season is able to start, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cabrera reported to camp lighter than he's been the past few seasons, and manager Ron Gardenhire said he was impressed by the veteran's conditioning. Cabrera made 107 appearances as DH in 2019 and played at first in 26 games. The Tigers are unlikely to allow the 37-year-old to play the field extensively this season given his knee issues in recent years.

Choi is working out consistently in his native South Korea and maintaining regular contact with manager Kevin Cash and other Rays staffers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi returned to his hometown of Incheon back on March 24 and self-quarantined for 14 days. Subsequent to that period, Choi has been working out with his older brother Jungwoo at the latter's With Baseball academy, which offers the 28-year-old access to regular batting practice as he demonstrated in a recent posting on his personal Instagram account. Choi is also using SMS technology to communicate every few days with Cash and head athletic trainer Joe Benge, and he is contemplating a possible mid-May return to the United States to continue preparing for the regular season.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Sunday during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Ohtani is throwing "roughly" two bullpen sessions per week at about "80 to 85 percent" intensity.

Since Ohtani is still completing the rehab process for his elbow following his October 2018 Tommy John surgery, he's been permitted to receive treatment and conduct his throwing program at the Angels' facility during the league-wide suspension of play. Eppler estimates that Ohtani is typically throwing around 35 pitches during the sessions and should increase the frequency of them before he's deemed ready to face hitters in May. Organizing live batting practice sessions in which Ohtani can test himself against hitters could prove to be more of a challenge if the MLB season remains suspended deep into May.

Vogelbach's improved contact rate stood out to hitting coach Tim Laker before spring training was suspended, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Vogelbach worked on several adjustments to his approach in the batter's box this offseason after posting an anemic .162/.286/.341 line following the All-Star break in 2019. Laker feels Vogelbach's results this spring -- a .321 average (9-for-28) across 12 Cactus League games -- speak to a keener eye at the plate on the part of the burly slugger. "He was frustrated a little bit in spring, just because he hadn't hit any home runs yet, but Daniel Vogelbach is not a guy that is going to have to worry about power," Laker said. "It's not like he lost his power. I felt like he was having better at-bats, wasn't striking out nearly at the clip he was in the second half. I did think it was headed in the right direction, for sure."